Amazon adding 900 staff in Scotland expansion

MelodieWarner

Amazon.com Inc.
AMZN, -1.70%
is creating another 900 jobs in Scotland by opening a new customer-service center in Edinburgh, said Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond in a release.

The new facility--which is being supported by a GBP1.8 million ($2.9 million) grant from Scottish Development International--should open in August.

The online retailer said in January it was creating more than 750 new jobs around Dunfermline, Scotland, with the opening of a new 1 million square-foot distribution center and planned to add 200 positions at its existing facility in Gourock.

Amazon was expanding its distribution centers last year to boost world-wide shipping capacity for holiday sales. But that led to a surge in operating expenses.

In April, the company reported its first-quarter earnings fell a more-than-expected 33% on another surge in expenses, though sales rose 38%.

Shares were trading at $192.90 premarket, down slightly from their Tuesday close of $193.27. The stock has risen 55% over the past year.

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